August 2026 Lunch & Learn Recap

Rokey Suleman, Independent Election Expert, The Carter Center

Building Confidence in Our Elections

This month’s Lunch & Learn featured Rokey Suleman, an independent election expert with The Carter Center, for an informative conversation about election administration, security, misinformation, and building public trust ahead of the November elections.

Key Takeaways

Elections Are More Than Election DayElection preparation begins months in advance and includes planning, training, security procedures, ballot processing, reconciliation, audits, and certification. Elections are complex processes carried out by people in our own communities.

Safeguards Help Catch ErrorsMistakes can happen in any large, human-operated system. Reconciliation, documentation, recounts, and audits provide multiple layers of protection to identify and correct errors.

Election Night Results Are PreliminaryOfficial results may take additional time as election officials process provisional and absentee ballots, complete reconciliation, and conduct any required recounts or audits. A delayed result does not necessarily indicate a problem, it can mean officials are taking the time to get it right.

Building Trust Through Community EducationCommunity organizations have an important role in helping voters understand how elections work, find reliable information, and know where to direct questions or concerns.

As Rokey reminded us: “Elections are run by your neighbors.”

Looking Ahead to November

As we prepare for the November elections, we were encouraged to:

• Trust local election officials.
• Remember that election-night results are preliminary.
• View recounts and audits as safeguards.
• Verify information before sharing social media claims.
• Report concerns directly to election officials.
• Support every eligible voter’s ability to participate safely and without intimidation.

Thank you to Rokey and everyone who joined us for this important conversation!